“Be Brave” – A Personal Journey Through Art

Finally releasing this one to the world.

To see behind the scenes posts, sneak peeks, artist statements, and completed images up to a month ahead of public release, please consider donating to my Patreon.

“Be Brave” is the first completed of a series of three images revolving around my own personal struggle with mental health and my journey for emotional growth. This piece represents a pivotal moment in my life where I decided to face my demons, mainly anxiety and depression, head on despite how seemingly insurmountable, dark, intimidating, and overwhelming they feel. This is the moment of turning; the moment it is decided that enough is enough, even if I don’t yet know which tools are the right ones to help me win this fight.

While “Be Brave” is the first to be completed, it will be the middle piece in the completed triptych with “Succumb” as the first, and the third yet unnamed.

There is a lot of symbolism to unpack with this piece, weapons scattered and hidden about, all broken because they are the wrong tools, mirrored wounds and poses shared between the figure and the bear, etc. To read more up on it, I’ve made these two Patreon posts about its process and completion public because I felt like the meaning behind this piece was too important to me, too potentially relatable, and helpful to others not to share.

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“Be Brave” – A Personal Journey Through Art (WIP)

(This post details my struggles with doing any personal art what so ever, the journey it took to get me to start, and what that meant for me emotionally.)

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“Be Brave” – A Personaly Journey Through Art (Final Artist Statement)

(This post details more briefly the symbolism behind the final image and their meanings, as well as how emotionally artistic expression has been changed for me forever.)

Thanks so much for reading and wish me luck on my continuing journey!